"FAMILIES’ NEED FOR financial aid to pay for college in the coming academic year is likely to increase dramatically, experts say, but not every college has the resources to bridge the gap.
As parents and students experience job losses, furloughs and pay cuts, many will turn to college financial aid offices for additional need-based aid. But colleges themselves are experiencing financial challenges after the higher education world was turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic that brought the economy to a screeching halt in March.
Gaps between the cost of attendance and the amount of financial aid a college is able to offer existed before this economic downturn, as only a few colleges promise to cover 100% of a student’s financial need. But this year has brought a new intensity to the problem, says Daniel Blednick, director of college guidance at TEAK Fellowship, a nonprofit organization that serves students from low-income families in New York City." …